This invention concerns filtration apparatus of a type used in industrial operations to remove contaminants from a liquid used during manufacturing. After machining such parts as engine blocks, manifolds, it is usual to wash the parts to remove chips, grinding swarf, cutting fluid residue, etc. The parts are conveyed through an enclosed washer chamber where spray jets wash off these contaminants, with the spray liquid and washed off material collected in a tank beneath the washer chamber.
It is necessary to remove the chips and other debris from the liquid to allow continued reuse of the liquid in the washing sprays, and in the past, an inclined filter media belt filter was mounted within the tank, periodically indexed to remove accumulated filtrate, the liquid drawn through the filter media belt to be filtered. A drag conveyor is also periodically indexed to convey accumulated solids out of the tank for disposal. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,726 for an example of such a filter.
In this arrangement, the filter apparatus is difficult to service, as the belts and conveyor are enclosed within the washer collector tank.
In some versions, the feeding of disposable media over the belt to remove fine particles would require access to the rear of the tank, which is often difficult in many installations.
To pump the contaminated liquid to an external filter would require a separate tank to receive the liquid in order to allow belt indexing, increasing the floor space and cost of the equipment required.
This situation is also presented with other stand alone equipment such as individual grinders and other machine tools having a dedicated chip cutting fluid collection tanks below the machining zone.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a filter apparatus for removing contaminants received in a tank such as a washer collection tank or other equipment, which apparatus is not necessary to be disposed within the tank and does not itself require a separate collection tank and which can quickly carry out the periodic indexing of a filter media belt to clean solids therefrom.